The science of biotechnology is constantly improving investigators' capability to detect and analyze various intracellular components, such as DNA, RNA, membranes and organelles. However, in order for any assay to detect these intracellular components, the various probes or other assay reactants must be able to physically reach and interact with their targets. This may be a troublesome task when the sample is difficult to disrupt or lyse, and in these situations, the accuracy of the assay may be compromised.
A second instance where cellular disruption is important is the harvesting of products manufactured by a cell or tissue, whether the products be naturally occurring metabolites or the result of the introduction of a heterologous gene(s) into the organism's genetic apparatus.
If methods used to disrupt the cell are too harsh, the integrity of the intracellular components may be lost. The challenge for the researcher then is to liberate as many intracellular components as possible from the confines of the cell, but at the same time not destroy the cellular components. The difficulty in achieving a workable balance between cellular disruption and component preservation is summarized in Foster, 1992 "Cell Disruption: Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" Bio/Technology 10:1539-1541.
Some methods used in the past to disrupt cells have included chemical systems (such as the use of enzymes or other chemicals to destroy the integrity of cell wall and/or membrane), and mechanical systems, (such as ball mills or the application of high pressure using the so-called "French Press"). The use of enzymes is not preferred in most commercial applications because of cost and extended incubation times. In addition, the choice and amounts of appropriate enzyme(s) must be determined for each species cultured, and some cells (particularly certain bacteria and fungi) are particularly resistant to enzymatic attack. Mechanical systems such as the French Press, use high pressures to disrupt the cell system, but this usually results in the generation of heat, which may degrade the cellular components of interest. Another problem associated with the French Press is that it is not suitable for the handling of pathogenic organisms. Further, when processing multiple samples, there is a possibility for cross-contamination. Non-invasive sonication is another technique, but has not proven to be uniformly successful with all cell types, notably yeast.
At present the technique of choice is "bead-beating" where small glass or zirconium beadlets are added to the sample tube. Upon shaking, the beads collide in the sample to facilitate the disruption process. Examples of commercial cell disrupters include the BEAD-BEATER.TM. and MINI-BEADBEATER.TM. by Biospec Products (Bartlesville, Okla.) and the WIG-L-BUG by Cresent. The currently available bead-beating apparatae however, tend to overheat, and are restricted to processing a single sample. It would be most desirable to have an apparatus which combines the advantages of a prior art "bead-beating" apparatus without its disadvantages.